WESTLANDS WATER DISTRICT

Westlands Water District is the largest agricultural water district in the United States, made up of more than 1,000 square miles of prime farmland in western Fresno and Kings Counties. Westlands has federal contracts to provide water to 700 family-owned farms that average 875 acres in size. These farms produce more than 60 different high-quality commercial food and fiber crops sold for the fresh, dry, canned and frozen food markets, domestically and abroad. More than 50,000 people live and work in the communities dependent on Westlands’ agricultural economy. The family farms in the Westlands Water District are among the most productive and water-efficient in the world, largely due to improved access to cutting edge technological innovations.

Westlands’ Economic Impact

Westlands growers produce an average of more than $1 billion worth of food and fiber every year, generating approximately $3.5 billion in farm-related economic activities for surrounding communities. The communities in and near Westlands boundaries include Mendota, Five Points, Huron, Tranquillity, Firebaugh, Three Rocks, Cantua Creek, Helm, San Joaquin, Kerman, Lemoore and Coalinga.

Water Delivery in the District

Water is delivered to Westlands through the Central Valley Project (CVP), a federal water project that stores water in large reservoirs in Northern California for use by cities and farms throughout California. After it is released from CVP reservoirs, the water is pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and delivered 70 miles through the Delta-Mendota Canal to San Luis Reservoir. During the spring and summer, the water is released from San Luis Reservoir and delivered to Westlands through the San Luis Canal and the Coalinga Canal. Once it leaves the federal project canals, water is delivered to farms through 1,034 miles of underground pipe and more than 3,300 water meters.

Due to Westlands’ longstanding commitment to water conservation, the comprehensive water delivery system utilizes fully-enclosed pipes along the entirety of its system to ensure water is delivered with zero losses to seepage, evaporation, or spills during transportation and delivery. Westlands continues to work collaboratively with growers and irrigation specialists to provide growers with advanced sustainability strategies and cutting-edge technological assets to enable local farms to adapt and thrive.

Read more about water delivery and irrigation.
Read more about Westlands’ conservation practices.